


The End of an Era

by lol-phan-af (lol_phan_af)



Series: ot4 Origins (1-800-did-I-ask) [4]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Break Up, F/M, Modern AU, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 08:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6698272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lol_phan_af/pseuds/lol-phan-af
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hercules and Elizabeth break up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End of an Era

Hercules was home from the city for Easter for two days, and Elizabeth was positively beaming with excitement. More accurately, if she was being honest with herself, she was dreading it. She knows of her boyfriend's very obviously growing feelings for his three friends, and she knows what will happen if he tells her about them. She chooses to ignore that possibility as long as she can.

His parents pick him from the ferry terminal, asking Elizabeth to watch their food that they have in the oven for them. Elizabeth agrees, sitting at their huge dining table and staring at all of the pictures of Hercules they have hanging in the kitchen. Every major event in his is life documented on that wall, a few spaces saved for things like his college graduation and his wedding. Elizabeth glares at the vacancy, flicking it with her middle finger. She hates that empty space.

They're back soon enough. Eliza runs out to meet him, running into his arms. He hugs her back like she hasn't done this before, awkward and hesitant.

"Hello," she whispers into his neck, smiling. He tightens his grip on her waist as a response. She missed this.  
  
Elizabeth spends an hour at the Mulligan's, talking to them about how her life is, noticing how they dodge every mention of marriage at all costs. Hercules could never keep anything secret from his parents, so Elizabeth doesn't doubt that they know what's going on between them. She goes home when the sky starts to darken with storm clouds, wanting to be home when the storm hits.  
  
\---

Hercules hugs Elizabeth goodbye, and he feels wrong. This whole trip feels wrong. He doesn't even want to be here. Yeah, he loves his family and wants to spend as much time with them as he can, but his friends are home, celebrating Easter with each other, and Hercules wants to be with them more than anything.

He tells his parents and brother about it that night when they're all watching TV in the living room.

"You're fucked, boyo," his brother tells him. His mother makes a face. She knows it's harsh, but she couldn't have said it any better.

"I think you should tell Elizabeth. It's not fair that she thinks that you're still in love with her when you're not," his mother advises.

Hercules makes a 'hmm' sound. "I'm pretty sure she already knows. I think she's just trying to overlook it so she won't give up on whatever she thinks we still have."

"There's another reason to end things!" His mother said.

"I know! It's just, she was my first love, I was hers, I kind of don't want to ruin our relationship by ending our relationship. Does that make sense?"

"No," all three of his family members respond.

"Elizabeth was my best friend. I don't want her to stop being my friend by ending my relationship with her."

His father leans forward in his chair. "You and Elizabeth started dating when you were kids. You're not kids anymore, Hercules. You need to stop loving like them."

They all stared at him. Hercules ran out of the living room, through the kitchen and out of the house. He escaped to a park that was a fifteen minute walk down the road, his favorite place to go when he was little. He should take John, Alex, and Lafayette here someday.

He really should go over to Elizabeth's house and tell her, but tomorrow's Easter, and he knows it'd be a dick move to ruin it.

He hates himself, he swears. In his heart he knows he doesn't love Elizabeth. In his heart he knows that he hasn't loved Elizabeth in a long time, maybe even before he met Alex, John and Lafayette.

It's a long shot to even think that he'll be loved back by any one of them, so why ruin what he has for a chance relationship. Maybe that's the point, he thinks. Maybe the point is him ending this relationship. Maybe the point is him closing that far too long of a chapter in his life to start writing a new one. Maybe it'll be a love story. Maybe it'll be a tragedy. That's not for Hercules to decide, but it's for him to find out.

He runs his hands down his face. He's made his decision.

\---

The next day, Easter, Elizabeth, her father and her uncle go over to Hercules' house, as they've done since before Elizabeth was even born. Her and Hercules hold hands underneath the table like they were teenagers, and maybe Elizabeth took it a little too personal when Hercules let go to pour himself a drink and never goes back to the hand holding. At one point when both Elizabeth's and Hercules' families somehow get into a discussion about house renovations, Hercules glances to her.

Their relationship may be falling apart, but it wasn't like that from the beginning. So when Hercules glances at her, she knows that look. It's the look he got when her mother died, it's the look he got when he told her that he was going to city for college. It's the look he gave her when he told her about kissing Alex. It's the look he gives her when he's sorry. One singular second of where he looks over at her with that look and every nerve in Elizabeth's body seems to ignite.  
  
He asks to talk to her later that day, right after he father and uncle leave. She tells them to go on without her, and they do, crossing the street and leaving her alone.

"Elizabeth," he starts, and Elizabeth tries not to cry. She's been waiting for this, like a frayed rope just waiting to snap.

"You don't have to say anything. I know what this is."

"I'm in love with Lafayette, John, and Alex. I know that we've been dating for-?"

"Six years next month," she responds, tears filling her eyes.

"Right. I know that we've been dating for almost six years but, we were kids then. We're adults now. At least, you're an adult. I spent all my time on Friday eating Spongebob mac and cheese in my rocket ship pajama pants while watching The Bee Movie." Elizabeth laughs through her tears. Damn Hercules Mulligan to hell for making her laugh while he's breaking up with her.

"I just feel like I've kind of outgrown us."  
  
"Yeah, no, I totally understand. Thanks for being honest with me about your feelings," Elizabeth chokes out. She walks home, only slightly crying. Hercules goes to walk back into his house.

"Oh, and Elizabeth?"

She turns around. She's crying and she knows that he knows it. She'd be an idiot to act like she isn't.

"You'll always be my first love." He goes back into his kitchen, the storm door slamming shut and his front door softly closing behind him.

Elizabeth falls to the ground in the middle of the street. She knows that her knees are now scraped and she can feel them bleeding, but she can't pay attention to that right now. Tears fall in huge droplets from her eyes onto the asphalt of the road. Sobs rack through her body, causing her to shake. They echo throughout the whole street. This is pathetic, she thinks, she really should be getting up. She doesn't have the energy to even move let alone stand.

Her father sees her from their house window, coming out to carry Elizabeth into their house and into her room. She curls into her covers completely clothed and tries to ignore every thought she has about Hercules Mulligan. She falls asleep with tears on her face.

When she wakes up, Hercules Mulligan has taken the ferry back home, leaving her completely heartbroken and alone on one of her favorite holidays. He destroyed a relationship, a family tradition, and every dream Elizabeth ever had of their future, all in the span of five minutes. Elizabeth curses herself for not being mad at him for it.

She could never be mad at the people she loved, and she would be lying to herself  if she said she didn't still love him. She'd be lying to herself if she claimed she hated him. No matter how hard she tries to, she can never hate him. She doesn't hate Lafayette, John, or Alex for being so amazing that Hercules fell in love with them. She can't.

  
When she thinks about this for too long, it all turns into white noise and all thoughts are erased except for one.

  
Fuck Hercules Mulligan.

**Author's Note:**

> hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaggahahahahahgahshahashahaha


End file.
